Section 400: Academic Affairs

Effective: April 12, 2002
Revised: July 2013
Last Review: February 2022
Next Review: February 2024
Responsible Party: Provost/Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs

Policy

The following policy has been adopted by Montana State University-Northern to implement the Montana Board of Regents of Higher Education Policy 301.13 Application for Graduation or Final Degree Requirement Check Sheet. The purpose of the policy is to establish and publish a formal process by which students and faculty complete and sign a program sheet to ensure he or she is on track to finishing a bachelor's or associate's degree expeditiously.

Policies

  1. Every student in an associate's or a bachelor's degree, must complete the "degree check" process adopted by MSU-Northern.
  2. That process must be initiated by the student after he/she has earned his/her 60th credit for bachelor's degree and 30 credit for associate's degree. For purposes of this policy, earned credit means any credit for which the student has received a traditional letter grade. I.E.: A, B, C, D, F or P.
  3. The "degree check" procedures must be completed by the student before he/she has earned his/her 75th credit for bachelor's degrees.  If a student transfers to MSU-Northern after earning his/her 75th credit, that student will have one semester to complete the requirements of the "degree check" policy.
  4. If a student fails to follow the timelines or procedures established in this policy, any avenues of review or appeal for exceptions to academic policy on the MSU-Northern campus are not available to the student.
    1. The only exception to this limitation is the situation where a student can prove, by clear and convincing evidence, that the failure to comply with the policy is the fault of MSU-Northern and its employees.
  1. The following procedures have been established to complete the "degree check":
    1. The Registrar's office will notify all students and their respective chairs/deans, in writing, about the policy and its expectations the semester before each student earns his/her 60th or 30th credit.
    2. Students are expected to work with their faculty advisor to complete a program sheet.
    3. The program sheets should clearly set out the work that the student has already completed; and the work that still needs to be done to earn the bachelor's degree.
    4. The program sheets described in 5.b., above, must be signed by the student and the faculty advisor.
    5. The information must be submitted to the Registrar's office, according to the time frames described in Numbers 2., 3., and/or 4., above, depending on which of those sections applies to each student.
    6. The "degree check" is only complete and official when it has a signature from the Colleges' Deans.
    7. The original copy of the official "degree check" form will be kept on file in the Registrar's office. A copy will be provided to each student.
  1. The "degree check" will only be valid and enforceable for three (3) years from the date of the official approval by the Registrar's office, described in Number 5, above.
    1. a "degree check" expires under the terms of this section, the student covered by the lapsed "degree check" will have the same rights as if he/she had never filed the appropriate "degree check" paperwork. Those rights are described in Number 4., above.
  1. If a student completes the "degree check" process, as set out in Number 5., above; and if the student fails to follow the additional requirements that must be satisfied to earn a bachelor's degree as specified in the official record described in Number 5.f., above, that student will have the same rights as if he/she had never filed the appropriate "degree check" paperwork. Those rights are described in Number 4., above.